


After the storm

by AndyWBlackstorn



Series: Through Chrissie's eyes (alternative universe) [35]
Category: Bohemian Rhapsody (Movie 2018), Queen (Band)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Family, Gen, Romance, Through Chrissie's eyes, through Chrissie's eyes verse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-07
Updated: 2020-02-25
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:00:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 8,814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22160710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AndyWBlackstorn/pseuds/AndyWBlackstorn
Summary: When all hope of Felix's family and friends runs out, waiting for him to find a girlfriend, he finally starts dating. The problem is that their relationship doesn't work out very well and he finds himself frustrated and deluded. But that changes when he meets Joan Tate.
Relationships: Felix Taylor/Jo Taylor, Jimmy May/Rory Taylor
Series: Through Chrissie's eyes (alternative universe) [35]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1324115
Comments: 16
Kudos: 6





	1. A bad break up

"What are you doing here?" was Catherine's abrupt and harsh reply to Felix, who was standing there at her door.

"I thought we'd better talk more calmly," he suggested cautiously and shakily.

"Talk? Hmm!" she declared indignantly. "I made it clear that I don't want to talk, it's over, Felix, and I don't want to see you again!"

"I know and understand, I also think that breaking up is the best option for us, given all the circumstances" Felix continued insisting "but even if we broke up, I didn't want us to break up with a huge fight."

"Okay, okay," Catherine eventually gave in to her own tiredness. "But I'm still mad at you, and I think I'll be mad forever, so I'll politely ask you to get away from me and don't talk to me anymore. I promise I'll do the same thing to you."

"Okay," he nodded, thinking of offering her a hand, but gave up on the idea. "Goodbye, Catherine!"

"Bye and till never again!" she said through her teeth and slammed the door, startling Felix.

The only thing left was for the young man to turn around and return home. Felix took his steps forward, farther and farther away from Catherine, from every past and history he had with her.

It all started when he was playing with his band Arty who he had set up with friends. Following his father's footsteps, Roger's eldest son thought it was worthwhile to pursue a music career. With some college friends, Felix formed the band, performing and even recording a few songs, but never getting close to big stardom. Which was good for Felix, because at least it was a nice job that paid his bills.

It was this work that made him met Catherine Hunt, or Cath, as he used to call her. She was an avid fan of Arty, following them wherever she could to follow their performances. One day, she managed to talk to Felix, and he ended up prolonging the conversation, went to dinner alone that same night.

Catherine was a fascinating young woman, excited about her future, but wanting to live her present to the full. She filled Felix with compliments, how talented he was, and then realizing his personality, how sweet and funny he was, was the finishing touch for her to fall in love with him. So Catherine didn't want to leave before she kissed her favorite artist, and this aroused the young musician to surrender to the charms of the fan.

They exchanged phone numbers, starting to talk, and only later did Felix and Catherine announce the relationship, under pressure from his family and friends to know who had made him not being single anymore at last.

But not everything was as beautiful as it seemed. Their personalities clashed head on, causing hurt and resentment. Cath was agitated, energetic, willing, imposing her will on Felix until he couldn't take it anymore. But he did his best to keep the relationship healthy, he was calm, peaceful, giving up his well-being to please his girlfriend, and that's exactly what made Catherine angrier, calling him soft and weak, in what he retorted with problematic and bossy. From then on, everything went off balance, and the last fight had been very ugly, which made Felix's conscience heavy. Catherine decided to end there, but he insisted on looking for her to end it peacefully. At least that he had achieved.

He managed to keep well on the way to his apartment, but when he got there, he ended up crying, confused by everything that had happened, kind of missing Cath, but not wanting to admit it, he understood that it was better to them to be separated. It was then that, a little later, he found the courage to at least call Jimmy.

James May had always been his best friend, along with Robert Deacon, and the three of them had been living together a lot of experiencies, understanding each other like no one else.

"Hi Felix, how you doing, man?" Jimmy asked, glad for the call.

"Uh ... not well," he said despondently, and then sniffed, showing his friend how was his mood.

"You don't look well," Jimmy concluded, willing to talk more, "what happened?"

"Well, to sum it up, it's over Jim," Felix confessed with a sigh.

"You and Catherine? That's right?" Jim wanted to make sure.

"Yeah, that's it" Taylor nodded "she screamed me out of her house, I tried to talk, just to end up in a good way, I think at least that I got it."

"And you're not happy yet," Jim deduced.

"Oh Jimmy, I didn't want to, I swear I didn't want to ..." Felix hesitated, then started crying again "but it seems I'm already missing her, no matter how crazy and burst she was."

"Okay, it's ok, break ups are really hard" May tried his best to comfort his friend "I think it will take some time to getting used to, but that bad feeling will pass."

"Are you sure? I have my own doubts,” said Felix.

"Come on, yes, it's all a matter of time," Jim insisted. "Look, why don't you come here a little? I'm sure Rory and Zac would love it."

"I don't know, Jim, I didn't want to talk to my sister about it, you know how it was when I started dating, everyone was so happy and now I'm afraid I let everyone down," Felix continued to feel down.

"You wanna know what I think?" Jim suggested. "And I'm being honest here, I think everyone will be happy for you."

"Yeah, I know, it's gotten to a point where you didn't like her anymore, I know that," Felix understood. "Okay, Jim, wait for me, I'll be there soon."

"Thanks for that, buddy." Jimmy smiled at his brother-in-law's decision.

Jimmy told the truth, it was a general opinion from the Taylors that over time, Catherine was showing her true self to her boyfriend's family. She was arrogant, critical, had fought Tigerlily and Lola too many times in a way that made her get in trouble with Roger himself. That had been the last straw for the Taylors to show their disapproval of Miss. Hunt

Finally, Felix decided it was best to stay with his family, to support those he could always count on.


	2. A ride with the nephew

Jimmy answered the door of his house when Felix arrived. His old friend and brother-in-law was still a little downcast, but far better than he appeared to be on the phone.

"Hi." Felix smiled a little.

"Hi man, come on in, well, it's just me and Zac here, Rory is still in the hospital," Jimmy explained quickly.

"Okay." Taylor just absorbed the information.

Then Isaac appeared, as cheerful and energetic as his mother, but this time, he also gave a mischievous smile that reminded Felix of his own father, which made sense since he was the boy's maternal grandfather.

"Isaac, where are you going?" his father interrupted him.

"Huh? Nowhere, Dad, I'm not going anywhere, I just came to greet my favorite uncle" Zac gave a disguised smile "you told me that Uncle Felix was coming to visit us."

"Oh don't let Rufus hear you" Felix managed to laugh "but hi to you too, Zac."

"So uncle, since you're here, don't you wanna give me a ride to the mall? My father doesn't want to go with me, nor does he want to let me go alone, so if you go with me, maybe he will let me go,” Isaac explained.

"Hey, I'm right here, my son!" Jimmy emphasized the last two words "I already explained to you that it is better to wait for your mother and we go together."

"But it will take too long" said the teenager "come on, Dad, let me go with Uncle Felix, I promise to behave and everything, besides, he looks like a ride will do him some good."

"Wow, he got me, Jim" Felix raised his hands in surrender "I think he's right, I keep an eye on him, and anything, if you want us to come home soon, just call me."

"Okay, but you won't get used to convincing yourself to do what you want," Jimmy warned his son. "I'm doing this more for your uncle."

"Nice for your consideration, Dad, but what's up with Uncle Felix?" Isaac was curious and sarcastic.

"Hey, what do we talk about using sarcasm?" Jimmy countered him again.

"Sorry," Zac answered truthfully.

"Okay, I would love to see the discussion of father and son, I have experience with this with dad and my siblings, but you know, Isaac? Let's go and I tell you on the way before your father changes his mind.” Felix showed his impatience.

"Okay ..." murmured the boy, somewhat confused "thanks for letting me out, Dad, see you later."

"Be careful, both of you," Jimmy recommended as his uncle and nephew gave him soothing thumbs up.

In Felix's car, Isaac prepared to ask the question he wanted to ask.

"Really, Uncle, what happened?" he said to Felix.

"Well, your wish and the family's wish came true, Catherine broke up with me," Felix replied, much less regretfully.

"Yay! I mean, that's bad ...” disguised Isaac.

"Hey, it's ok, I know you didn't like her and you wanna know? You were right" his Uncle agreed "the problem is that I think I still like her, as much as I know she does me harm."

"I know, it's kind of eating candy after ten pm, it's so good, but the next day you feel all the bad consequences," Isaac compared, which made his uncle scowl and laugh.

"Not the metaphor I expected, but deep down, it makes a little sense," Felix explained his reaction.

As deep as he still felt affection for Cath, their relationship was no longer able to fix, she no longer liked him, Felix was sure. Then he convinced himself that Catherine had never been the right person for him, and despite the feelings involved, he would get over it and move on, that's what he had to do. Finally they reached the parking lot, and Felix wondered what his nephew wanted so badly to do there.

"So, Captain, what are your coordinates?" his Uncle joked after they passed the mall entrance.

"Oh it will be a surprise!" Isaac took advantage of the situation and made a mystery, pulling Felix's arm in the direction he wanted to go.

It was quite obvious what was the surprise when Felix saw that they were in a space to play laser tag.

"Seriously?" asked the uncle, staring at his nephew "now I understand why your father didn't want to bring you."

"Because he's a bad loser!" Zac deduced and remained enthusiastic, forcing his uncle to accompany him.

Before they entered the combat area, they had to pass the counter, being allowed to enter, and only then would they be equipped with weapons and armor. It was just at the counter that a girl, a local clerk, was finishing up organizing the lists of customers who had already left and those who had just arrived. She was wearing the ridiculously fluorescent, light green with purple collar uniform, and a braid that left her light hair tidy fell over her right shoulder as she read and wrote. She glanced up, recognizing Isaac May's cheerful and excited figure, but wondering at the unknown adult accompanying him.

"Hi Jo, how are you?" Greeted Zac, as if they were old friends, what they really were.

"Hi, I saw it took a while to come today, did something happen?" Jo kept talking.

"Just my dad, not wanting me to come," the boy shrugged.

"That's not exactly what happened." Felix cleared his throat, correcting him.

"Yeah, don't talk bad about your dad, he's a nice guy, by the way, your mom and dad are, if they didn't help Bitsie on that day, I'd probably lose my job" Jo remembered a nasty situation, but soon has broken away from memory "and who is your friend? If you don't mind me asking."

"I'm ..." Felix was introducing himself, but his nephew interrupted him.

"Oh, it's just my uncle Felix, I convinced him to come with me," Zac explained faster.

"Isaac!" his Uncle scolded him again "you interrupted me."

"Sorry, I get excited." He raised his hands in surrender.

"I think you're already used to his way, right?" Felix turned to Jo, laughing "but yes, I'm his uncle, Felix Taylor, nice to meet you."

"Oh hi" Jo suddenly felt embarrassed, losing herself in the stranger's perfect smile.

"Jo, we came to play, is there a place to us, or we have to wait?" Isaac just waited a microsecond to ask again.

"There's Isaac, yes, just get ready, come with me." Jo stepped out of her trance and led them into the equipment room.

She hurried out and returned to her post, she couldn't wait, nor did she want to stare bizarrely at Isaac's uncle for apparently no reason.


	3. Jo's feelings

Joan Tate's day had started like everyone else, she had gone to the mall, also known as her workplace, using public transport and arriving at the Laser Tag Camp. She took a general look at the place, seeing if something was out of place, or if something had broken. Some customers could be quite inconvenient and wreak havoc, in fact, customers of all kinds weren't lacking there and Joan had to learn to deal with it over the years.

This wasn't the job she had in mind, she was trained in computing at a community college, but still, she had been one of the brightest in her class, only that it hadn't even facilitated her job search. For a while, she worked as an analyst, but the company unfortunately had to fire her due to a crisis.

It remained for her to look for other alternatives and to be the attendant of the Laser Tag Camp was what remained. Of course, it wasn't a bad job, it had its advantages, but it was not exactly what Joan saw as ideal work, however, she was grateful to be able to work.

After checking the field, he turned on electronic devices that, during games, meant traps. So, everything was ready for her to receive new or old customers, who used to be very regular, customers like that could be found in the May family.

One day, Rory had the idea to take her husband and son there to play together and the three discovered a new hobby together. It was fun to see how slow Jimmy could be, but a good strategist, knowing how to hide and use his enemies' weakness.

Rory attacked with everything she had, not caring about being hit, taking everything for fun. However their son, Isaac, was the real competitor, wanting to win and always break his own records, but he knew how to deal with his losses.

It was for clients like this that Joan felt that her work had some important meaning, it brought joy to people. So it was nothing more than what she expected to find there, just watching other people's fun and paying her bills.

That was until Isaac brought his uncle there, on a day that she wasn't even expecting it. Not that she was really expecting that specific fact to happen, but what seemed simple was surprising to her.

Isaac was always cheerful and fun, willing to chat with Jo, especially to revive her spirits when necessary, and she was really fond of the boy. When he saw the man who accompanied him, she reacted in the strangest way possible, holding on to not express what she felt outside.

Felix had been friendly, attentive, concerned with introducing himself, and that ended up getting Jo's attention. He had a brilliant look, a melodious voice, a striking and gentle smile, and together all these characteristics seemed to knock on the door of Jo's heart, entering without warning and making it beat harder.

When she finally left uncle and nephew in the changing room, she started to feel dizzy, confused, as if all her neurons were trying to discover at the same time and individually what Joan was feeling, after all.

She couldn't like someone like that right away, it was too much fantasy, even if the same thing had happened to her old boyfriend. No, she would be stronger than that and she wouldn't be deceived, but at the same time, Felix seemed to be such a nice guy, someone who would be worth at least trying to befriend him. But did he want Jo as a friend?

At the moment, Felix didn't focus his thoughts on the attendant, but on surviving the laser tag maze. Isaac had hit his uncle several times, but Felix knew how to hide and use strategic openings to shoot, he had hit at least one nephew's foot and knee.

"Hey, Zac, can you give your favorite uncle a break?" the older one gasped, seeking air, after so much running.

"Oh, that's it, don't tell me you're already surrendering, we barely started to sweat" Isaac laughed, pushing his uncle's shoulder slightly, taking advantage of the fact that Felix was sitting.

"I'm serious" he said, but smiling.

"Okay, I believe you" Zac ended up sitting next to him "so what, you like it?"

"Yes, I really liked it, and I understood why you like laser tag so much" Felix commented.

"I don't like laser tag, I love it!" corrected Isaac excitedly.

The boy ended up taking advantage of the unexpected break to get some water for him and his uncle. Isaac's sudden presence back at the reception brought Jo back to reality, out of her daydreams, but he noticed her friend distracted.

"Jo, are you all right?" he asked attentively.

"Hum? Fine, Isaac, I'm fine, just very thoughtful, all of a sudden" she partially told the truth.

"Well, thinking is good, I think, just don't do it too much" advised the teenager, which made Joan smile in the face of so much precocious wisdom.

"Amazing how you give great advice at such a young age" she joked.

"Funny, my uncle did the same thing ..." Isaac laughed at that.

"Your uncle ..." murmured Joan, feeling her hands sweat and her heart skip again.

"Yeah, the same one I brought today" he shrugged, thinking Jo was asking who this uncle was.

"Yes, of course" she smiled, hiding her discomfort.

"Speaking of him, I left him alone just a little, better not to take too long" Isaac ended the matter, but noticed his friend paling and her light eyes wide "take care, Jo."

"Yes, always" she came out of the trance again, wrote down in the Mays' account the water bottles that Isaac had bought and saw him come back into the field.

Joan, being alone, put a hand to her face and took a deep breath, feeling frustrated. "Can you not act so stupid?" she thought, trying to use reason far more than an emotion she knew was fleeting. Ignoring her tantrums, she went back to work, serving more customers, saying goodbye to others, including Felix and Isaac.

"It was really cool there" he said to Jo, praising the place.

"I'm glad you liked it" she tried to be friendly, as she would be with any other customer, but her wider smile gave her away.

"Goodbye Jo, see you another day" Zac said goodbye.

"Yeah, see you around" Felix waved at her and she smiled awkwardly.

Still, Jo was happy to see Felix again in the near future.


	4. Meeting again

Felix had spent the rest of the week with fond memories of the games with Isaac in the laser tag field. Occasionally Catherine came to mind, leaving him confused and melancholy, but he soon remembered the hysterical Cath that everyone hated. Yeah, it wasn't easy to forget about her, but Felix was getting over the breakup.

Another thing he was organizing was his time with the band. Arty had been a good pastime, but his friends agreed that they didn't see much of a future in the artistic career. Others were lucky, but that wasn't their case. Felix, with a sad heart, accepted the end of his college musical project, seeing that it would be useless to insist more on the band.

So, there he went in search of what many called "real job". In his youth, in his vocational search, Felix took a lot of professional courses, which helped him in his new search. His new job was as an accountant, calm, just reviewing a company's calculations, with his bills and other necessary resources for life guaranteed.

Adapting to new things always brought some discomfort, and that was what Felix was feeling, still getting used to the new routine. After another day of work, all he needed was a little rest. It was very easy for him to doze off on the sofa in his apartment, without any concern, just looking for some peace of mind.

Eventually, he woke up, hungry and uneasy. He decided to eat some snack on the street and, next to the hot dog cart, he felt lonely again.

"Well, she never liked hot dogs at all" thought Felix, overcoming Catherine again.

As soon as he finished eating, he had an idea, something that had excited him all week, playing laser tag. Without hesitation, Felix drove to the mall, going straight to Laser Tag Camp. Jo, as he recognized her, was faithfully at her post. She smiled when she saw him, but soon after she closed her lips quickly. Felix wondered what had gone wrong for her to do so.

"Hi, Jo, are you all right?" he asked with frowns of concern.

"Ah yes, Felix, everything is fine, and you?" she managed to control herself well.

"I'm fine, more or less, better than bad, but a little uncomfortable with some things" he was saying !anyway, I think I'm bothering you with this conversation."

"No, not at all, it's okay, if you want to talk, trust me to say what you want, feel free" Jo was cordial.

"Only if you really want to hear me, maybe you think I'm a crybaby like my brother calls me" Felix laughed at his own mood.

"I promise not to do that, you don't seem like any of that, I mean, not that I'm noticing" Jo soon justified herself.

"Okay, so" he smiled, deciding to speak more "I think I'm a little lost because I just broke up with my girlfriend, about a week ago and, we were together for a long time and to be honest, I thought it would be much easier."

"No, it never is, I know how it is" she smiled in solidarity "I broke up my relationship 3 years ago, I mean, Ralph broke up with me, he moved to another city, but I also knew that he didn't like me the same way anymore."

"Wow, that must have been hard for you, I'm sorry" Felix was moved.

"Yes, but at least there was a good thing about it, I learned not to let myself be so deceived" Jo added.

"Um, here's my problem" he pointed an indicator finger to emphasize "I let myself be carried away by Cath, but the truth is that she never loved me for what I was and only for my idealized self."

"Idealized self? Did you even lie to her to appear ... I don't know, more attractive in some way, I mean, like in romantic comedies?" Jo tried to explain, but Felix looked at her weirdly "ok, I expressed myself badly."

"No, no ..." he hesitated, laughing right away "sorry if I offended you laughing, but it's a good theory, it's that she and I met because I played in a band, I was a drummer, that's where it came from her interest in me."

"Ah that explains a lot, about why it didn't work" the attendant understood "she didn't have the right motivations about you."

"It's true and it took me a while to understand and now I'm here talking to you about these things, sorry again for bothering you" he put a hand on his face, embarrassed.

"No, it's okay, it's good to say what you feel" she gave him a shy smile.

"Well, you seem to have overcome your breakup, do you have any tips?" he asked heartily.

"Ah I think it's just the good old "move on", thinking that breaking up is the best thing for both people as individuals, that's what I think" Jo advised.

"That was very smart, Jo, thanks for your patience" he smiled" by the way, it was really cool to talk to you, if you don't mind, we could do it more often, only if I don't get in the way."

"Well, I think this conversation in my work schedule is bad for me, but I don't know, you can ..." Jo didn't have the courage to complete.

"Call you? Wouldn't that be too bold of me?" Felix was really worried about it.

"I think that after this conversation, no problem" Jo smiled, trying not to show her hands shaking and sweating.

His pupils dilated a little when he smiled and took his cell phone out of his pocket. Joan knew exactly what it meant. Still not believing, she dictated her number while Isaac's handsome uncle wrote it down, she could hardly believe her luck.

"Can I call you over the weekend?" he asked, bringing her back to reality.

"Saturday night and Sunday all day, that's when I'm not working," Joan clarified.

"Okay, now I'm going to be serious and let you work" he smiled again "is there a vacancy for me now?"

"Yes," Jo answered promptly.

"I'll go there then and thanks again for the conversation" he said and entered the laser tag field.

"It was a pleasure, enjoy yourself," she wished.

Jo watched him walk away, smiling from ear to ear, considering himself a friend of his newest passion, trying not to be fooled. But with Felix's experiences, that may not have been the case.


	5. Revelation

When Saturday came, there was something else that didn't leave Felix's head. Maybe it was a bit of remorse or guilt, but for sure, he wanted to reward Jo for being so thoughtful and wanting to hear his whining without complaining.

It was then that he didn't hesitate to call her, remembering that she wouldn't mind. Jo, in turn, took the time to clean up her apartment. Not that she had a cleaning habit or anything like that, but generally, she barely had time to clean up for the week. When her cell phone rang, she found the unknown number looking for her over the weekend, but she still answered.

"Hello?" Jo was curious.

"Hi Jo? It's me, Felix,” he replied.

"Of course, Felix!" She smiled with relief, realizing that it was very likely that it was him.

"So, I wanted to talk to you, you said I could call today" he explained.

"Yes, how can I help?" she nodded.

"Actually, I wanted to help you, somehow, actually" he laughed a little embarrassingly, thinking he was silly "can I be honest with you?"

"I already said yes" she said in a fun way, remembering the first time the two talked "go ahead."

"I felt a little guilty for abusing your goodwill, so if you have a problem, anything you want to tell me and I can help you, that's what I would like to do" Felix said.

"Oh okay, I understand you, it's very kind of you" Jo could hardly believe his generosity "well, I think there's nothing much I want to say, I don't know, maybe a hideous confession that I think you wouldn't like it very much."

"Seriously? Sorry, Jo, but now I'm really curious, could you tell me anyway?" he instigated.

"Okay..." she sighed, but laughed right away "I don't like Laser Tag Camp that much."

"Wow! What a bombshell" Felix tried to sound dramatic, but he also couldn't help laughing "but why exactly?"

"Well, I would like to have a better job, to be honest, although I like the customers a lot ..." she bit her lip, afraid to give herself too much "like Isaac, your nephew is a great boy!"

"Yes, I understand you" Felix understood "you know that I really got frustrated a lot of times before I managed to decide what I wanted to be when I grew up, it only got even worse when I grew up, but I found myself a way."

"Oh yes? What do you work on now?" Jo had to ask.

"I'm a simple manager, accountant, to be more precise" he replied.

"Well, it's similar to what I did before working at Laser Tag" Jo said "I was an analyst."

"Seriously? And what else do you have knowledge?" he started to enjoy the conversation a little more.

"Computers in general, cooking, puzzles, few things, in fact, nothing special" she was sincere.

"Wait, understanding computers is something special, few can understand technology" said Felix.

"Are you saying this is your case?" Jo took a chance.

"No, not exactly, I don't understand everything, but I like technology," said Felix.

They talked a little more, Jo asked him questions about computers and their advances, she even told news that he didn't know, until they reached the end of the conversation, when it was already late and Felix wished her good night. Jo wished the same, and went to sleep even more delighted with Isaac's uncle.

He returned to Laser Tag on other occasions, alone, with Isaac, and even with his brother-in-law and his siblings. As for Jo, she accepted some walks with Felix after work, they hung out together, had coffee, and even had lunch together once in Jo's apartment. Her spice had pleased her friend very much.

So, as their proximity grew closer, Jo's feelings grew deeper and deeper. It got to the point that it was impossible for her to look at Felix without her gaze denouncing her, without her showing a clear affection for his attitudes, every time she held his hand in hers for longer than necessary, for every kiss on his cheek, for every smile every time he did a joke.

It was then that she became afraid of their friendship, she was declining his invitations to hang out little by little, saying that she needed to be a little alone. Felix soon became concerned and wasn't satisfied with these excuses, carefully decided to find out what was happening to his dear friend.

"Jo, I'm not leaving until you tell me what's going on, you haven't been back to normal for a while" he stopped at her apartment door with that statement.

"I know, I ... I don't know how to tell you" Jo was clearly sad and upset, she blamed herself, she didn't think it was right to hide this secret from Felix, the problem was that she feared that his reaction would ruin their friendship.

"Tell me what? We always talk openly with each other, why is it different this time?" he asked.

She sighed, gesturing for him to come in and sit down. Felix understood and did so.

"Don't be mad at me, please, I'm just going to tell you the truth," she said, holding on to keep from collapsing.

"Joan, I could never be mad at you" he sounded desperate.

She held her hand out to him, signaling him to stop and listen. He stood and bewildered.

"I like you, Felix, I really like you" she crossed her arms, clasping her hands around her "since I saw you arriving with Isaac that day, I felt something different, and after we became friends, i was sure i was in love with you ... and i still am. You don't have to do anything, seriously, you don't have to do anything ..."

"I .."- Felix was scared, waiting for everything but this "I need some time ... To understand all this and decide something ... If I have to decide."

Joan wanted to say no, that it was okay if he didn't like her the same way, but she couldn't, she just nodded.

"I'll call you, I promise" he said before leaving.

Waiting in anticipation had bring more pain to Joan's emotions and she cried for the rest of the night, choosing to just wait the next morning.


	6. Decisions to think about

As soon as Felix left Jo's apartment and returned home, his mind kept thinking about what she had said. How had he not noticed her feelings before? Perhaps because the poor girl was afraid of his reaction. Felix felt bad just to imagine how Jo was feeling, to be forced to hide her own feelings because of her fear.

But those were her feelings, no matter how important the whole issue was, it made Felix consider his own feelings. Did he like Jo? Yes, for sure, she was sweet, kind, a loving person, intelligent and courageous, but even with all that, they were just friends.

Felix lay down on his bed when he got home, closed his eyes, concentrating, taking a deep breath, not knowing what to do, trying to look inside himself for answers. Once again, Catherine came to haunt his thoughts, but not in a bad way, just as an experience, something solid to compare with what it was like to fall in love.

Catherine had seduced Felix, he knew that now, he liked her as she was, but he had noticed that their temper was too different for them to be able to build a stable life together. But Jo ...

Joan Tate had become a source of joy for Felix, it was who he loved to see after a hard day at work, who always laughed at his jokes and who, besides his other friends and family, was constantly in Felix's worries. He wanted her well-being, wanted to help her in every way possible, but that was motivated by something more than friendship, something that not even his relationship with Catherine had. Maybe, not maybe, certainly, that was love, Felix really liked Joan as she liked him, without pretending or masks.

It was too much information for a brain or heart to be able to reconcile in such a short period of time. Felix let the week go by, unable to call Jo again. He was sure he loved her, but he was still afraid, he feared reliving a horrible relationship again.

He used another week to think and consider, trying to imagine what the relationship between him and Jo would be like if they dated. It was certain that their complicity would remain intact and perhaps even stronger. That's when he thought that nothing in life was right and that even at this point in life, some risks had a 50% chance of leading to something good, maybe Felix was the block to his own happiness.

He finally got up, going to Joan's apartment early on a Sunday afternoon. The poor girl was shocked to see him, almost giving in completely to anger that Felix hadn't given any more news, but she could not be angry no matter how hard she tried, in reality, she was relieved.

"Hi" she said softly.

"Hi, I hope I'm not bothering you," he said carefully.

"No, you're not, I just wasn't waiting for a visit" she said, letting him in.

"I came to talk" he explained his presence, Jo waited for him to continue "I'm sorry for taking so long to call, it was bad of me, but I needed some time to think."

"I know, you said that" she replied more out of obligation than out of will, at this point, she expected only a negative answer.

"Yeah, I had to think a lot to decide something and I'll be honest with you" Felix continued "I started to think and I like you, Jo, I really like you, the same way you like me" Her expression turned into a hopeful smile "my problem is that I was scared, scared of ..."

"I know, having a bad relationship again" she added "I know how it is, we talked about it that time ... But honestly Felix, if you are willing to try, I am too, and I promise to try to make it happen right."

"I want it too, I really do, so, Jo, I love you too and I really want you to be my girlfriend" Felix said solemnly, looking into her eyes.

"Right..." she nodded.

Being overwhelmed by an impulse of happiness, she ended up kissing Felix at once, which surprised him. When they parted, he was staring at her, startled, scared, blushing.

"Sorry, forgive me, I just ..." Jo worried about his reaction.

"I can't forgive my girlfriend for kissing me" he replied amused.

She laughed with relief, and this time, Felix kissed her, feeling that his life was taking the right direction. He spent the day there, had lunch together, went to the movies later and at night, had dinner outside. For Joan, it was like living a real fairy tale.

Because Felix was gone all day, his friends ended up noticing his absence. Jimmy had texted, Isaac had tagged him on the possible social networks, and Robert, after having no answers in his messages, decided to call. Only then did Felix turn his attention to his cell phone, for the first time, all day.

"Hi, Rob, what is it? Are you all right?" he asked.

"I'm fine, but what about you? I've been trying to contact you for a while and nothing, did something happen?" Robert returned the question.

"Oh no big deal, I'm just spending the day with my girlfriend" Felix said casually, but I expected a big commotion from your friend.

"What?! Who is she and when did you meet? Tell me it's not Cath!" demanded Deacon on the other end.

Felix rolled his eyes and put the phone away for a moment.

"I hope you don't mind, but it's Robert, a friend of mine, Jo, he doesn't believe I'm dating, so say hi to him, please" he asked in a whisper.

"Okay" she laughed and agreed "hi, Robert, it's Joan, Felix's girlfriend, you can call me Jo if you want."

"Hello, good to talk to you, sorry for disturbing you, I had no idea you were having a romantic day" Robert apologized.

"It's all right, it was a little unexpected" she accepted the meddling.

"Well, I called to invite Felix to come with us to the coast next weekend, we always did that, but you are also our special guest, Jo" Rob explained.

"Of course, it will be a pleasure, I will go" Joan accepted the invitation.

'Okay, then, bye to you too" he said goodbye and hung up.

"Oh my friends! I hope you don't find it so weird or obligatory to go with us" Felix made it a point to clarify.

"No, no, don't worry, I think it was a great unexpected invitation" Jo smiled, assuring that.

Felix smiled back, so glad to have Jo in his life, for the opportunity to build something new together, leaving the disappointments of the past behind.


	7. Finally

Eventually, the news that Joan was Felix's girlfriend has now spread. Very energetic and surprised congratulations came from Rory and Jimmy. It was incredible to think that the two had met by chance, more to Isaac's credit than anything else, and the nephew was happy to see his uncle so well with someone the boy considered his dear friend.

The Smith-Deacons met Jo on the tour that Robert invited her to. She was looking forward to meeting Felix's other best friend and his family. Then, on the agreed weekend, there was the newest couple outside Rob, Eliza and Georgia's house.

"Hi, come in please" Eliza was the one who received them "it's always good to see you Felix and you must be Jo, I'm Eliza, some call me Liz too, Rob's wife."

"It's great to meet you and I thank you for the invitation too" Jo smiled, grateful to be received so well.

"Uncle Felix, what's up?" Georgia came to give her a quick hug and took the opportunity to hug Jo too, which surprised her positively "hi, I'm Gia."

"Or Georgia, for the newbies" Felix joked "the little girl who grew up too fast."

"Come on, uncle! Don't say that to me, everyone says that" the young woman said, amused.

"Perhaps it's because it's old-fashioned talk," Felix said, shrugging.

After getting everything ready in the car, Robert finally showed up.

"Hi, Jo, isn't it? I'm Rob" he introduced himself to the girl.

"Actually, Jo, we call him Bobby or Deaky," Felix added.

"Okay, let's leave the nicknames alone and go soon" the host urged everyone gently.

Everyone settled in the Deacons car, Gia opened her middle space for Joan and Felix to sit side by side. The trip took a little over an hour and a half, until they reached the place that Georgia and her parents liked most.

It was a beautiful and calm beach, other families and groups of friends occupied the place too. Jo hesitated to enter the water; for a while, she was content to talk to Eliza, discovering more about Robert and Felix's friendship, how their parents were close friends. She saw them both in the water, swimming and playing with Gia, racing. It was then that Felix looked at his girlfriend suggestively, she panicked a little.

"The water is fine, but it will get even better if you come in" he suggested.

"I think it's very selfish of you to take me out of my corner of peace and quiet," she replied playfully, looking at him over her sunglasses.

"Come on, Jo! Who comes to the beach to just stay on the sand and not go into the sea?" Felix countered.

"Sorry, but there are days that I don't swim" Liz manifested to defend her new friend.

"You see?" Pointed Jo "I also can't swim ..."

"No problem, my love, I can teach you" he offered, with an irresistible smile.

"Seriously? So, Felix, let's see what you can do" Jo thought it better to get up than to wait for him to start insisting too much, as she knew he would.

They entered the sea together, he instructed her, teaching her to tap her arms and feet and hold her breath, for a moment she stood in front of him, holding on to his arms because they were in deeper spot. Their wet, dripping hair in the sunlight made them more beautiful in each other's eyes. It was a perfect time for a kiss and it happened.

So, the months went by, Jo and Felix were always close in their spare time, they went out together, but also with friends. Felix met some of Jo's friends and her family, and after so many experiences together, some very happy and some very sad, like when they had a fight at one time or another, but they still got along in the end, he decided it was time to ask her to marry him.

Nobody else would be in his life what Joan had been and always would be. He told his intentions to his parents, siblings, friends. Once again, they were all shocked to see that finally, after all this time, Felix Luther Taylor was going to get married.

For a long time, he thought of a special way of making the proposal, until something simple crossed his mind, it was something very easy to do, but in the place he was going to do, it was certainly unusual, which he hoped would surprise and thrill Jo.

It all started with a ring, a guitar and an invitation, Felix called his girlfriend just to eat a hot dog, which Jo loved. She was starting to take a few steps away from the food truck when Felix realized that this was the right time.

"Wait just a little, I have to solve something" he said with some urgency, which scared her.

"What's it? Felix, what's going on?" Jo watched him talk to the owner of the food truck and suddenly her boyfriend had come up with a guitar in his hands "okay ... That ... What is that, anyway?"

He started singing a song he had worked on with his father, "Woman (You're so Beautiful)". The song was originally inspired by Dominique, by Roger's relationship with his wife, and deep down, when Felix recorded this song, he hoped to find a love like that of his parents, which was why the song matched the moment so much.

Jo paid attention to the little show, Felix's voice was melodious and beautiful, but she was startled when he changed the chorus, adding "Will you marry me?" Speechless, Jo started to cry with joy, waiting for him to finish.

"These two years have been the best of my life because you are in it, so Jo, I want to make your days as wonderful as you have done mine, so, without further ado ..." he took the ring out of his coat and offered it to her "do you want to marry me, Joan Tate?"

"Yes, I do" she nodded, giving him a big hug.

Carefully, Felix placed the ring on her finger.

"I love you, Jo ..." he smiled, relieved that she accepted his request.

"I love you too" she held his face in both hands and kissed him.

They celebrated a little more there in the middle of the street, people didn't understand their excitement, but only the two needed to know why they were so happy.


	8. The new Mrs, Taylor

For a long time, Felix was reluctant to introduce Jo to his parents and all this fear came from two main reasons. The first was how demanding and pressive they could be, wanting to ask Jo a thousand questions and ask right away if she was going to marry Felix, since everyone around him thought he was too old to remain single. That was why she sometimes asked her boyfriend about meeting his parents and that was exactly what he answered. Jo thought it best not to mention the subject anymore, and to respect his feelings about this delicate subject.

The second reason was clearly Felix's father being none other than Roger Taylor, the drummer of the band Queen. As for that matter, he discovered that Jo knew Queen on a basic level by chance, almost like everyone else, listening to their popular music on the street and pointing them out as Queen and Freddie Mercury, so did Jo and Felix thought it best leave that matter for later.

Now, the two reasons confronted his actions, everything had changed since he and Jo became engaged and the first decision that Felix felt necessary to be taken was to introduce his fiancée to his parents.

He thought it best to warn her first, and she was very happy with the news, finally Jo could meet her in-laws, so that Felix was super comfortable with it. His parents, however, reacted the way he expected. Of course, Dominique was calmer, but extremely happy that her son did that. Roger was as lively and spontaneous as ever.

"Ah we are finally going to meet the famous Jo! Awesome, son!" he replied on the phone.

Felix just made a face and shook his head as he said goodbye to his father.

Dominique made a point of inviting Jo to dinner at their house and the girl accepted the invitation from Felix, even though she felt very nervous. They were punctually in front of the Taylors' house, which made Jo watchful and curious, trying to deduce what she could from the house and the family.

"There's something you didn't tell me, your parents are rich" she said in a slightly impressed tone.

"Yeah, not rich, but ..." he swallowed "maybe my father will clarify more about that."

"You're being mysterious again" Jo said half as a complaint, which made Felix smile a little awkwardly.

He disguised this by opening the door immediately, entering the house with Jo and meeting Dominique shortly thereafter.

"Hi, my love" she said to her son first "welcome, Jo, I'm Dominique, Felix's mother."

"Nice to meet you Mrs. Taylor" Jo found the future mother-in-law a lovely person right away.

"She arrived, great!" Roger appeared right away "how nice to finally meet you, Miss. Tate."

"Likewise, Mr. Taylor" Jo ended up liking Roger's way too.

"Hi, Dad, I'm here too, how are you?" Felix was sarcastic, which earned him a playful pat from his father.

"Don't worry about them, Jo, they are always like that" Dominique warned and she ended up understanding.

The Taylors let Jo talk a lot, to tell them about her life, what she liked, her relationship with Felix and how they had met and everything, until she wanted to ask how Felix had learned to play instruments and the subject ended up in Roger's old profession. Jo's father-in-law told her what he did for a living and how he was a famous artist, which she was a little scared of.

"Wait, are you Roger Taylor, from Queen? This is really cool" Jo showed her positive reaction "too bad I'm not such exactly a fan, but I really like your work."

"Are you not a bit bothered by that?" Felix needed to ask "I thought you were going to react badly ... like, find us arrogant or spoiled..."

"No, Felix, I know you well and you're not a little daddy's little boy" she touched his arm making him look at her "you are very normal for my taste and that's great."

He smiled relieved and after that episode, they could continue planning their wedding. The time between preparations passed faster than the bride and groom expected, but everything had fallen into place and on a beautiful Sunday when the morning sun was shining on a club in Surray, which was ready for the special occasion, they would get married there.

A large corridor led to the chapel of the place, large enough for a considerable number of guests, waiting for the bride to pass by. Even with all that and so many friends and family onlookers, nothing distracted Felix and Jo from the most important thing, experiencing the moment between just the two. The bride, by the way, faced everything with great courage, smiling with gratitude for everyone who was there, but still, feeling anxious until she got close to Felix.

The groom found it hard to believe that day had really come. As much as so many people joked about his love life, he also regretted having trouble finding true love, but it all worked out in the end, he hadn't lost hope and his faith was worth it, taking him to Joan when he decided accept Isaac's invitation and go out to play Laser Tag.

A small choir marked Jo's entrance, Felix fixed his eyes on her as soon as she passed the door of the chapel, holding himself up so as not to run over there and pick her up soon. It was as if Jimmy and Rob had guessed his thoughts, holding him by the shoulder before he did that, Felix's two best men knew well what their friend was going through, and understood all of his emotion.

When Jo finally reached the altar, Felix held her hand tightly and they turned to the minister. There was a short speech, summarizing the couple's love story and only then came the most important question, which both Jo and Felix were eager to answer.

"Do you, Joan Tate, accept to receive Felix Luther Taylor as your husband, to love and respect and share your life until the end of it?"

"Yes" she smiled and looked at Felix.

"Do you, Felix Luther Taylor, accept to receive Joan Tate as your wife, to love and respect and share your life until the end of it?"

"Yes, for sure" he returned Jo's smile as he smiled back at her.

"So, officially, before God and everyone who is here, you are married, and please, you can kiss the bride" ended the minister and the couple shared a long passionate kiss.

Felix took Jo's waist and she threw her arms around his neck, it was a perfect moment, celebrating the union they just sealed. They passed through the same corridor that entered the chapel again, this time, with their arms intertwined, still feeling in the clouds, covered by flower petals that the guests threw.

"I am very happy because of you" Felix said to his wife "thank you Mrs. Taylor."

"I thank you, Mr. Taylor for turning me on Mrs. Taylor" Jo laughed at her joke, which was very true.

It was a wonderful feeling that they were married to the right person, someone that, despite everything, they met on their way, making their lives much better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we come to the end of this story. I really enjoyed writing it and developing the characters. I will continue writing "The Missing Piece" and "Life Goes On", be sure to subscribe and see you next time!

**Author's Note:**

> First of all, are you all right? Well, here's another short and unexpected story. Unexpected because I was almost forgetting to write it, then I remembered, wait, there's still Jo and Felix's story to tell, so here we are, hope you like it and see you next Tuesday, it's gonna be the day of the week I will update it. That's it and see ya!


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